


Time Flies When You're a Rogue

by Art_Surgery



Category: Batman: The Animated Series
Genre: BTAS - Freeform, Blackgate Prison, Corrupt guards, Friends to Lovers, M/M, RP writing, Rarepair, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2020-10-28 00:57:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20769863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Art_Surgery/pseuds/Art_Surgery
Summary: Temple Fugate and Oswald Cobblepot find themselves escaping Blackgate prison together after discovering each other as cell neighbors. After they part ways they become "pen pals" where the Clock King attempts to get a job under his new partner, whom is only interested in keeping the man as a friendly companion. Over time he starts become much more than that and they begin to learn their combined unique talents and power over the city could possibly be the next step up for the Penguin's Mob.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> A fun little RP between myself and my blog friend, Askthepenguin.
> 
> This is an interesting pair, I know. It was discovered while writing for our blogs on Tumblr.com; Ask-Clock-King and Askthepenguin. It was an accident but we soon realized they work well together and wanted to do more with them. So enjoy our little self indulgent Roleplay of a ship we just happened to stumble across! 
> 
> This chapter is a little short but they get longer I promise. Rating will most likely go up as the RP continues.

Another stay in Blackgate was not something Penguin looked forward to as the guards took him to his cell. Batman had stopped his plans yet again and kicked his ass while doing so. 'Honestly, you'd think he'd be less violent towards someone as old as me.' He thought as the guards continued to drag him to his cell. 

It felt like forever before they finally threw him into a small grey cell and slammed the door. "Ah home sweet home. At least they cleaned it since the last time I was here. I hope my pigeons are alright, I wonder if they missed me." He asked himself. He hoped he'd be able to get the room set up like last time, he loved having those pigeons in his room. 

Oswald looked around the small space as reality started to set in, and yawned. He tiredly made his way over to his cot, it was so sparse he could practically feel the back pain already. With a huge sigh, he lie down and tried to get comfortable. This was going to be a long, long night.

Through the wall next door was a rhythmic tapping, it was in time with the way a clock would sound. "Two Weeks, four days, seven hours, fifty-six minutes" a voice muttered. 

"Hey! Shut up! And stop that tapping!" A guard yelled, indicating this was a regular thing from his neighbor. Temple Fugate had become known for annoying the guards rather often.

The tapping continued "well you won't allow me a clock so I have no other way to tell how long I've been in here!" The inmate shouted "So I guess you'll have to deal with hearing time go by." 

With a long sigh the guard approached the cell. "Do you want another beating, Fugate?" The man threatened.

"Maybe you both could shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep and you aren't helping matters Let the man count the time, the only one he's bothering is you!" Temple's new neighbor yelled, voice muffled by the heavy door.

The guard scowled and approached the other inmate. "Want to say that to my face you little shit."

"Gladly. Now shut up and let me sleep." the man boldly replied.

Temple's eyes widened and the tapping stopped briefly. A stranger hadn't shown him kindness before, especially not in Blackgate. 

The guard groaned and banged on Temples bars one more time "next time I see you, I'm giving you another black eye, Fugate" he growled. "And next time you won't have this bird to stand up for ya." 

The guard continued his walk about and Temple sighed. "Thanks uh... Bird?" he said cautiously. Out of all the things to call someone, why Bird?

Oswald glared at the guard as he passed by, flipping him off once his back was fully turned. "Imbecile" he muttered.

At his neighbor's words, he looked over at the wall that separated the two of them. "That's Mr. Bird to you" he sassed. "You should be glad I was able to step in. That guard happens to have quite the nasty temper." He walked away from the door and moved closer to the wall separating him from his neighbor."I must admit, I've never met a human clock before."

Temple chuckled. "Mr. Bird, eh? Trust me, sir, I've been on the receiving end of his anger. As he implied I currently have a black eye." He leaned against the cold wall with an almost pained grunt. "And I suppose I am a human clock aren't I? I'm a specialist and time and clocks. I suppose that makes sense" he chuckled weakly.

Oswald walked over to his cot and sat down, leaning the back of his head against the wall. "You should fight back, that guard won't mess with you if you show him who's boss."

He sat there for a moment and started to laugh as a thought entered his mind. "Hahaha, A bird and a clock. We're quite the pair aren't we?"

Temple couldn't help but chuckle in return. "Trying to get out in a decent amount of time, I'm sure assaulting a guard wouldn't help that happen, but thanks." He said politely. "And a bird and a clock actually go hand in hand, do they not? One of the most popular clocks is the Cuckoo Clock, after all"

Oswald raised one eyebrow and crossed his arms "Are you trying to say we're both nuts? Or are you genuinely talking about a cuckoo clock right now"

Once again the Clock man laughed. "I wouldn't say we're "nuts" in any form of the word" he assured him "but perhaps together we can be useful, hm? I heard the guards talking about bringing some birds into your cell. Is that true?"

Oswald looked over at the wall incredulously. "Well, yes but how on earth did you hear that Mr. Clock? And where are you going with this?"

"The guards are loud." He responded matter-of-factly with a scoff. "Anyway, Mr. Bird, can you train them?" 

"Can I train them?! Mr. Clock not only can I train them, I can train them within a few hours and have just enough time to spare to teach them to tango." Oswald boasted to his neighbor.

"Impressive!" Temple said genuinely. "I'm going to need a pocket watch to keep track of the guards comings and goings. Do you think one could fetch me that? I can explain more once I have what I need." He had a plan of escape, but wasn't sure he wanted to share the details yet with this stranger. He needed to test if he was to be trusted first.

"Fine." Oswald agreed reluctantly. Any way out was a good way out. "I should have my pigeons by tomorrow. You better tell me what you're planning once I get you that watch and don't even think about screwing me over" He threatened.

The soft rhythmic tapping started once more. "Oh Mr. Bird. I'm smarter than that. I may not know who you are, but I know not to screw over another inmate. Especially one that even makes the guards turn away from a fight." He explained.

Oswald chuckled at his neighbors words as he laid down on his cot and faced the wall. "Smart man, Mr. Clock. Smart man. I'll make sure not to underestimate you either." He closed his eyes and covered himself with his blanket. "You know, I find that tapping quite relaxing."

Clock King didn't falter in the timing of the gentle taps. "That's good. I wouldn't want to annoy my new neighbor with my way of keeping time." He said then mumbled quietly "two weeks, four days, eight hours, thirty-two minutes."

Oswald felt himself start to drift off to sleep as he listened to his neighbor. "Trust me, you'd know if you were annoying me" he mumbled loud enough for his neighbor to hear.

The clock master continued tapping until it was 9:30 pm, so he could prepare himself for sleep as well.

Gentle snoring could be heard from the other side of the wall, sleep had finally found Oswald. He'd regret it in the morning on account of his back, but for now he couldn't be bothered.

Temple fell asleep soon after he had crawled onto his cot as well. Another morning in prison was on it's way, but at least he knew he had a chance to escape with his useful new neighbor, Mr. Bird.

~~~~~~~~~  
The following morning the guards woke the inmates, although Temple had already been awake for twelve minutes. "You're late waking us again." Temple stated flatly. "By twelve minutes and fourty-three seconds. This prison is very disorderly."

"Shut up, Fugate!" The man hissed. "And you, wake up!" He slammed his nightstick on the door.

"I'm up! I'm up! Don't get your knickers in a twist!" Came the muffled reply as Oswald dragged himself out of bed, his back already protesting the harsh treatment his cot gave it.

"You boys ready to get to work?! Fugate you're gonna be outside today, your new friend is working inside." He looked off to his peers "You take the Clock moron. I've got this one." After the demand was made the the door next to Oswald's shrieked as it opened. There was a clear sound of one of them hitting his time savvy partner before they pulled him away. 

"Alright Cobblepot. Stand in the middle of your cell, wrists out." The temperamental one demanded.

"Bastard" he muttered as he put his arms out, the guard grabbed them harshly and sneered as he put the handcuffs on. 

As the guard manhandled Oswald, he started heckling him. "No wonder that Vreeland rejected you, I'd reject you too with hands like these." He smirked as he started to drag Oswald away from his cell, he could hear his neighbor being dragged away as well.

"Hold steady! Don't let them see you bleed. They're like vultures, big ugly Vultures." Oswald called out to his neighbor as he was led away.

Temple heard the jab at the man's appearance. "Hands?" He asked himself and tried to get a look at his neighbor. The guard shoved him again.

"Keep moving, Fugate!" One of them hissed.

He sighed and gave in, then heard his cell neighbor shout out to him as he was dragged away. 'good advice' he thought to himself.

Oswald hoped his neighbor heard his call to him as he was dragged down the hall. Looks like he was going to be making license plates with the other mob bosses. 'How on earth did the warden believe that putting all the other mob bosses together in the same room was a good idea. I'll truly never know.' He thought to himself.

When they got to the room, the guard pushed him through the door and slammed it shut with a loud thud. Composing himself, he looked around the sparse, grey room. Oh great, looks like Maroni is here.

The mob boss glanced up a moment at the new arrival briefly before getting back to work, then his head shot back up as he realized exactly *who* this new arrival was, and a wicked smirk curled his lips. "Mr. Cobblepot~" he greeted coldly. "Nice to see you. Finally got caught, eh?"

He groaned in exasperation as he walked to the nearest chair. "What the hell do you want Sal? And don't you dare say nothing."

Maroni snickered. "'Bout time you got but in here with the rest of us. You've been hiding behind your goons too much. scared you're gettin too old?" He teased as he punched the letters into the next sheet of metal.

Oswald crossed his arms in defiance and turned his nose at the other man. "Sal I'm 63 and I can still kick your ass." He deadpanned " Besides, It's not like next thing I know Batman will be trying to cart me off to an old folks home, not that I'd let him if he did of course." He paused to sit down. "And I went without my so called goons this time."

He leaned closer with a chuckle. "No wonder ya got caught." He said "worthless freak"

"You might want to watch your mouth Maroni, wouldn't want a little accident to happen. I'm awful clumsy with these tools you know." Oswald whispered with a deadly look.

"It's almost like you want to get stuck in here forever." He said before finally quieting down and getting to work.

Oswald chuckled to himself as he started gathering what he needed and got to work. For a minute, he sat there and wondered how his neighbor was doing in this hellhole. 'I hope the guards aren't giving him a hard time, I don't want him out of commission for whatever plan he has.'

~~~~~~~~~  
Temple was fairing as well as he could out in the humidity of summer Gotham weather. Breaking rocks down and patching up walls in the prison. He was at least able to tell the time by noting the position of the sun.

"Hurry it up Fugate!" One of the burly guards yelled out. How dare they boss him around while they're all sitting in the shade.

At this he scoffed and started going half the speed he was originally going. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you. I must be getting heat stroke." He said sarcastically. His smart mouth had gotten him in trouble a few times.

"What did you just say to me? I know you didn't just talk back to me Fugate." The glorified statue growled out as he stalked his way over to the clock man.

He turned to face him a moment with a bored expression, then looked back at the wall. "Technically I was talking, and you were behind me" he replied. "So yes, I was talking back to you"

The hulking meathead grabbed Temple by the front of his uniform and lifted him towards his face. "That's it. You're gonna get it now Fugate and your little friend ain't here to stop me." He ground out as he raised his fist, about to strike. 

Just as the man's fist was coming towards him, a loud squawk was heard as a flurry of feathers obscured both men's vision. The guard dropped Temple as a raven started pecking at his head vigorously.

Temple looked surprised and backed against the wall as he took in the scene before him. "What the-" he muttered as the Raven attacked the guard. "Little friend?..." He muttered to himself then it clicked. This Raven probably belonged to Mr. Bird! How had he known Temple was going to be attacked? Or even what he looked like?  
He shrugged and quickly rushed to another guard to let them know he had finished his work on that side of the building, internally thanking his new feathered friend.

Meanwhile, Oswald was stuck making license plates as he listened to the other mob bosses fuss and whine. Honestly these were grown men and they wanted to complain about not being able to find the letter T? Pathetic.

Thankfully it didn't take long for it to be over. They were soon led back to their cells for "recreation time" as they called it. For him and the other bosses that meant that they stay in their cells until lunch time but for the rest of the inmates, that meant they had to go to the rec room. 'I'm glad I don't have to do that. I'd rather sit here and read.' He griped internally as he read one of the books he stole from the guards.

After a moment he heard the cell door beside his get pulled open aggressively and his neighbor got tossed in. "You can stay in there! Smart mouthed ingrate!" The guard shouted. The Clock man cackled a little and spat something on the ground that was most likely blood. 

"You got beaten by a bird." He egged on, despite his better judgement. "That was hilarious." 

At this the guard hissed. "I'm going to kill you one day, old man." He threatened "The prison would probably thank me. No longer having to listen to your annoying time keeping and tapping!" The door slammed shut and before the guard left his eyes appeared in Oswald's window. "And you. I know what you did. Calling that bird to protect your new friend here!" He hissed. "Too bad he couldn't protect him inside the prison!"

Oswald looked at the door, perplexed. "Bird? I don't have any pigeons yet." He mumbled to himself as he watched the guard stalk away. He turned away once the meathead was out of sight and ran over to the wall. "Mr. Clock are you okay?! He didn't break anything did he? What bird is he talking about?" The moment Oswald said that he heard a loud caw coming from his window. He instantly gasped at the sound. "Edgar!" He whipped around a looked at the raven, Edgar was preening and readjusting what looked to be many feathers out of place.

Temple coughed a little "I'm alright, Mr. Bird, probably would have been worse if your friend hadn't shown up." He assured him. "Is Edgar my little ink feathered hero?"

The shorter man looked over at the wall. "Edgar saved you? I didn't even know he was here. He must have sent by some associates of mine." He looked back over to the preening raven. "Oh, you brave boy." He praised.

"Hes a good bird" temple agreed as he propped himself up against a wall. A couple cuts and bruises, maybe a cracked rib, he'd heal. "I was a little surprised when he swooped down and started pecking the big guy though. Eventually I'll have to thank him properly."

"I'm sure he'd love that but be warned, he's a spoiled little thing."he told his neighbor as he made his way over to his cot, Edgar in tow, and sat down. "You know, you probably shouldn't taunt the guards if you're not going to fight back Mr. Clock."

Temple cackled "Is that worry I hear?" He asked. "I'll be fine. It's rather exhilarating if I'm honest, pissing him off all the time." there was a long defeated sigh "But i will admit this is the worse I've had so far. I'll probably take more care in the future."

Oswald nearly fell off his cot with a loud squawk. "I'm not worried! I just want you to be alive long enough to use that plan of yours. And you better stop starting fights or I'll kick your ass myself." He threatened in a affronted tone.

Temple chuckled more. "You're charming, aren't you?" He said sarcastically. "Don't you worry. After I get the things I need, we'll be free as your little friend there."

"You're not funny. Honestly, I think that guard knocked a few screws loose." He sassed as he untied a note from Edgar's leg and watched him fly away. "This plan of yours better work." He walked back over to his cot and lie down with his arms behind his head.

The Clock King fell silent after that and looked out his window, mumbling to himself about the time of day before starting his usual tapping. Time wasn't going to keep itself, after all, and his neighbor didn't seem to mind it. He could only hope now that this "Mr. Bird" could really deliver what he had promised.


	2. The Fruits of Labor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phase two is finally set in motion and the corruption of Blackgate is having more light shed on it the longer Clock King is imprisoned. The cell neighbors may only be a few steps away from a breakout, but They still need to be patient. In the meantime the two learn more about each other and start to bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fun little RP between myself and my blog friend, Askthepenguin.
> 
> Rating will most likely go up as the RP continues.

A few days passed and dinner had just been served and eaten by all those left in their cells. Temple and Oswald being two of them. Once the trays were collected they heard arguing from some of the nearby cells and a soft cooing becoming louder in the halls.

"Not the damn birds again!" One shouted. "The hell are we ever supposed to sleep now?!"

Oswald jumped up from his cot and excitedly made his way over to the door. Through the small window he could see several guards transporting cages with pigeons in them. "My babies! Did you all miss me my dears? I missed all of you." He cooed at the pigeons causing the birds to get very excited and flap about causing the guards to struggle with the cages. "Oh shush all of you. It's rude to disturb our neighbors my Lovelies." Oswald chastised, immediately the pigeons calmed down as one of the guards started unlocking the door.

Temple listened to how obedient they were in mild surprise. It was as if they understood him.

The guards hissed. "Stand in the middle of your cell. You know the drill." The demanded. "No funny business or the birds go, understood?"

"Fine. And be careful with those cages!" Oswald fussed as he obeyed the guards instructions. Once the door opened, the guards came in and deposited the cages on the floor. "Crazy bird man. No wonder people don't like you." One of the men muttered causing Oswald to glare at him.

Temple leaned against the wall and listened to the soft noises the birds gave. They were lovely little noises. Maybe they could help soothe him into slumber.

"I happen to enjoy bantering with the crazy bird man." Temple joked, although he was being honest. He had been bored up until his neighbor had been delivered.

"Ha! Crazy am I? I'll show you crazy." Oswald joked back as the guards deposited the last of the birds.

The guards groaned. "Why did they have to bunk these two idiots next to each other?" One asked as he locked the door back up. "You two are going to be obnoxious aren't you?"

Temple looked at his door a moment before starting some obnoxiously loud tapping with a small rock on the metal door "what makes you say that?" He asked. "Perhaps if you had given me a clock I would be perhaps, less obnoxious?"

Oswald threw his head back and cackled. "He's right you know! If you all were smart, you'd give him one right now." He heckled loudly causing his birds to get excited as well. The sounds of tapping and pigeons cooing filled the air.

The largest guard came through and slammed his fist on temples door, causing the tapping to stop. "I'll kick your ass and your friends if you keep this up, Fugate!" He hissed. 

The clock master rolled his eyes. "We aren't friends, I assure you, just neighbors."

"Indeed! We're not friends, we barely know each other." The bird enthusiast yelled out as he turned away from his door and crossed his arms.

"He sure sticks up for you a lot" he growled. "Never seen you stand up for another inmate before, Cobblepot!"

Temple's eyes widened "Cobblepot?-"

"Maybe I'm just tired of hearing you all talk. Every time you open your mouths, I can feel myself get dumber by the minute." He sassed.

"What if I kicked your new friends ass for every time you open your smart mouth?" The guard said with a smirk in his voice. "He doesn't seem to fight the beatings."

Suddenly the air turned chilly as he stalked his way towards the guard, slowly he made his way over causing him to get noticeably uncomfortable. "Oh well then it looks like I'm just going to have to break your jaw, just like last time." He whispered in a calm tone, loud enough for him to hear.

He glared down at Oswald, visibly sweat on his brow. "Why so protective of the Clock Man? You ain't friends, right?"

"We're not but I absolutely can't stand the thought of an ignoramus like you thinking he can insult me, and by extension him, whenever you want." He calmly told the man.

"Then I should tell the other mob bosses you've gone soft, huh? See what happens." He chuckled. "C'mon boys let's go leave these two idiots be. We've got a schedule to keep." He demanded.

As they let Temple scoffed. "A schedule? Right." He muttered, his words heavy with sarcasm.

Once the guards were far away the man started his softer tapping and sighed "Mr. Cobblepot, eh? Well known mob boss-" he started.

"Idiots" Oswald sneered as the guards walked away. He turned away from the door and sat down on his cot.

"So you heard that? Well go ahead. Yell at me. Everyone who finds out I'm their neighbor always does." He braced himself.

Temple shook his head, as if the other man could see him. "No thank you. I have no reason to." He said honestly. "Nothing you have done has ever gotten in the way of my schedule. In fact I'm quite impressed by you mob bosses and Your power over the city. It's really something to admire."

Oswald looked over at the wall in confused surprise. "Truly? You- you're not just saying that, are you?"

Temple scoffed "Why would I? If I don't like someone I typically let them know." He said. "What has beating around the bush ever gotten me?"

"I don't know about beating around the bush but you certainly have gotten your fair share of beatings." He pointed out, arms crossed. "You're welcome by the way."

Temple stopped tapping, realizing he had lost his manners. "Oh- thank you for that by the way, I'm terribly sorry where have my manners gone?"

"See it's exactly like I said. Everytime one of them talks, it makes you dumber. Soon we'll be talking like they do." Oswald joked as he lay against the wall.

Temple laughed. "Oh please, bold of you to imply our IQ's could drop that low" he said.

"True." He chuckled before growing uncharacteristically quiet. "Mr. Clock, I know it shouldn't matter now that you know my name but can you keep calling me Mr. Bird?" He asked timidly.

He nodded and relaxed against the cold wall. It felt nice against his aching bones. "Sure, you've done me that same kindness haven't you?" He said. "The anonymity is... Nice"

"It is. Besides, I quite like the nickname. It's better than what people usually call me."

"What do people usually call you?" He asked.

"Freak, monster, demon, bastard, cold-hearted beast, Penguin. You know, the usual nicknames" he said with a fake air of levity. It always hurt to bring stuff like that up. Always.

Temple hummed in mild sympathy. "People can be cruel to those they don't understand." He said flatly. "Gotham is full of those types of awful people. Why do you think these prisons are so full?" He asked. "They created us. And now, they fear us."

Oswald put his arms towards the ceiling and looked at his flipper like hands sadly. "I became a monster a very long time ago and I never once looked back. I decided then that if they're going to judge me, then it will be for the things I have done and not the way I look."

Temple felt something in his chest, something he noted as sympathy for the killer next door. "How you look?.." he asked. He had only heard of the man, never seen him.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about it." He told him with an air finality.

"My apologies" he added before falling silent. He wasn't sure what else to say since he had already pried too deeply into the other man's life.

The two of them sat in awkward silence for a moment as they leaned against the wall separating them. With a small sigh, Oswald started tapping on the wall.

Temple couldn't help but smile at the sound. "Seems I've already rubbed off on you, eh neighbor?" He asked jokingly. "Your timing isn't half bad."

He smiled at the other man's words. "Of course my timing isn't bad, I've been paying attention to yours. Besides, I don't mind the tapping. I mind silence a lot more."

"Then I'll be sure to continue. Here, you're a fifth of a second off-" he started tapping with him, slowly bringing him up to the proper time. "There" he sighed contently. "Some think I belong in Arkham, you know, because of my supposed OCD" he muttered as he tapped the wall.

Oswald continued to tap in synch with him as they talked. "Well they wanted to put me in Arkham for my supposed obsession with birds. It's not an obsession, it's a hobby. A wonderful hobby." He pouted.

"well hopefully soon I can help free you from your cage, huh?" He asked. "You help me and I help you. After that you needn't deal with me again if that's what you wish."

"Deal. But if we're going to break out, then it can't just be us. We'd get caught too quickly."

"Oh, I have already planned for all of that. All you need to worry about is helping me get what I need with those lovely friends of yours." Temple bore a small smirk. Everything would fall into place soon.

"Oh you're too kind. Lovely things pigeons are, people don't give them enough love. They used to be given respect but now they're just seen as urban pests. My Lovelies will get what you need no problem. You don't have to worry about that."

Temple hummed "I believe they're lovely birds, personally, quite intelligent as well." He said. "Oh and may I say I'm impressed. It's almost like they understand you, Mr. Bird"

"Birds are beautiful, intelligent creatures Mr. Clock. They do in fact understand human speech. I believe it's mostly the tone of voice one uses but they do understand what you say." Oswald informed him, still tapping the wall in time with his neighbor.

"I'd like to learn more about them, since currently we have nothing but time to waste." He said with a gentle shrug "if you don't mind, of course"

"Certainly! Did you know that pigeon-breeding was a common hobby in Victorian England. They developed all sorts of breeds. And did you know that wild pigeons descended from the rock dove. Oh! And it's been recorded that pigeons have been used as messengers as far back as 5th century BC!" He rambled in excitement.

Temple liked speaking to someone knowledgeable, especially one that held so much passion for their knowledge. "That's incredible, I never knew they held such importance, I just always found the noises they made to be soothing"

"You find them soothing? Well it's a good thing we're neighbors then. Because you'll be hearing a lot of those noises."Oswald assured him, then barked out a laugh. "Ha! Looks like this hellhole finally did something right when they put us next to each other."

Temple chuckled. "Agreed. At least we can be civil. That's more than most can say." He stated.

"Exactly! You know it's funny. I heard them talking about you briefly. When they found out we were going to be neighbors, I think they set up a betting pool. Probably for how long it would take for us to fight. Let's make sure they all lose." Oswald told him with a wicked smirk.

Clock King matched his smirk, though he couldn't see it. "I really do like the way you think, Mr. Bird. I think I'll like this little arrangement" He said surely.

So do I Mr. Clock. So do I. I look forward to the fruits of our labor." Oswald muttered as he lay down in his cot and covered himself up with his blanket.

Temple continued tapping, though he noticed his neighbor stopped. "Goodnight, Mr. Bird. May tomorrow favor us." He said, knowing it was only 8:47 pm and he, himself, wouldn't be headed to bed for another 43 minutes.

Oswald slowly fell asleep to the sounds of rhythmic tapping and the cooing of pigeons. It wasn't anywhere close to the sounds of home but it was soothing nonetheless.

The next morning, he arose to the sounds of the guards yelling and banging on the cell doors. He moved to get up but suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his back, causing him to cry out and fall to the floor. "Ah! Dammit, my damn back. These cots are a nightmare." He angrily muttered as he struggled to get up off the ground.

Temple looked over towards the other cell from his seated spot on his own cot. "Are you alright, Mr. Bird?" He asked calmly.

Oswald tried to grab onto his cot but his hand slipped as lifted himself up. "Oof! I'm fine Mr Clock! Don't worry about me!" He yelled out. Several guards were now at the door, yelling at him. "Cobblepot! Get a move on! Don't make us come in there!"

Temple scoffed. "Leave him alone will you?" He called through the door. "God this place is full of corrupt ingrates."

One of the guards slammed their fist against the door and scowled. "Shut up Fugate! He needs to get up just like every other inmate."

He glared at the door, unmoved by the act of violence. "He's up, isn't he?" He hissed. "He's awake. He'll stand when he's ready."

Meanwhile, Oswald had finally gotten a grip on his cot and managed to stand up, fighting the pain the whole way. Gritting his teeth, he walked towards the door and put on a brave face. "I'm perfectly fine. Just slow to start is all. Now let's go."

The guards chuckled at his pain. "I think Cobblepot wants to be outside. Fugate stays inside today." The big one said. "I'll take the smart mouth." He said and grabbed Temple from his cell.

"Bastards" Oswald muttered under his breath as he was practically dragged away from his cell. Every tug made his back twinge in horrible pain. 'I hope I don't pass out like last time.' He was worried, last time he dealt with back pain in this godforsaken hellhole, he was severely punished for passing out.

Temple would have lied of he said he wasn't worried about the man. He knew how bad back pain could get as one aged and the physical labor in the heat wasn't going to do him any favors. To interrupt his thoughts he was shoved around by his usual attacker and pushed into the room full of mob bosses making licence plates.

Temple was practically thrown into the room with enough force to make him stumble. All the men in there stopped what they were doing and stared. "Well lookie here boys. We got us a newbie." One of the nearby bosses crowed. It was Maroni and he looked as snarky and mean in person as he did in the papers.

Temple dusted himself off and walked toward the nearest work space, deciding to simply ignore all the vultures staring at him. He was still covered in scrapes and bruises from the day before, which was a clear sign of weakness. So he stayed silent to try and not ruffle any feathers.

Maroni walked over and took a seat beside him, a cruel smirk on his face. "Oh come on four eyes. I'm just making conversation"

A deep frown settled on Temple's lips."Mhm, four-eyes? How childish." He mumbled. "I just want to do my work and go back to my cell, if you don't mind." His tone was sharp and displeased.

"Oh! Looks like you've got a mouth ya. No wonder the guards like to kick your ass."

He gave him a sharp look through his glasses. "I take it from them, but I don't have to take it from you." He growled. "Leave me to my work."

Maroni leaned back a little bit and put his hands up in surrender."Alright, Alright. Oops!" The mob bosses knocked Temple's license plate off the table, causing the letters to fly off." Sorry bout that buddy. I'm clumsy." He walked back to his workstation with a smirk.

Temple groaned and got up to pick up the pieces. It felt like he was in school all over again. He hated this prison more than anything.

Meanwhile, Oswald was trying desperately not to pass out as a combination of the hot sun and excruciating pain beat down on him as he struggled to work.

"Work faster, freak!" A supervisor yelled, their gun drawn in a threatening manner.

Oswald started to wheeze as his vision blurred. "I'm trying you bastard! Can't you see I need medical attention?! I'll die at this rate."

He scoffed. "Really? This old bit again?" He asked. "You're just trying to get out of work you lazy scum" The man crossed his arms.

Oswald whipped his head around to face the man. "Bit?! You think this is a bit?! Are you kidding me?! I'm a mob boss, we generally avoid showing weakness." He yelled weakly.

The guard eyed him a moment. He was pale, eyes half lidded, clearly woozy. "You're gettin' off easy today." He muttered and whistled for some men to take him. "He needs to go to the med bay pronto" he demanded. The two nodded surely and made their way to the poor, tired man.

Oswald started to shake as the guards approached him."Finally" he muttered before he passed out, hitting the floor hard.

The two that came to grab him picked up the pace the moment they saw him fall limp. They carefully pulled him away from the wall and took him inside to take the fastest route to the medbay. Temple happened to spot the limp body being dragged through the halls as he was getting some water. "Oh jeez..." He muttered. He had seen people being taken to the medical area but never having to be fully carried. The longer he stayed here the more corruption he was noticing. 

~~~~~~

Hours later, Oswald woke up in the infirmary. Looking down, he saw an IV drip in his arm and heard the steady beeping of the heart monitor as he took in the rest of his surroundings. "Ugh! I feel like I've been hit by a truck or worse, the batmobile." He groaned as his head pounded from the heat stroke he had suffered.

"Stay down." One of the doctors demanded sternly. "You're suffering heatstroke and exhaustion. You need rest. How have you been sleeping?"

"Actually I've been sleeping better than I usually do but those cots are an absolute nightmare on this old bird's back." He admitted. His yawn after wasn't inspiring confidence in the doctor one bit.

He started to type some things on his computer. "Do you think that's contributing to this issue today?" He asked.

"I'm old, of course that contributed to the issue. I've already told the warden before that those cots practically destroy my already bad back but he obviously didn't listen." He deadpanned.

The doctor nodded, acknowledging what needed to be done."Then I'll be sure to fix that for you. Things will be worse off if you don't get good sleep. Wait.. how old are you?" They opened his file curiously. Oswald definitely didn't look terribly old.

"Y-You didn't look at my file?" He sputtered in disbelief. 'What kind of doctor doesn't look at their patients file?!'

"Wow I didn't think you were in your 60s" he said, ignoring Oswald's frustration.

"Well how old did you think I was?" He asked incredulously.

The man shrugged. "I thought you were, I don't know, maybe in your late forties, early fifties." He said "with that full of hair and no grey? You're aging well"

Oswald went silent for a moment as he thought of what to say. He didn't want to admit he dyed his hair on account of the fact that he hated his true hair color. He didn't want anyone to know he was a ginger and thankfully he was usually able to smuggle in hair dye when it would start to fade. "Thank you. I try to take care of myself." He decided to go with a simple response.

He continued to look Oswald over "so, what are you feeling currently? Any dizziness, nausea?" He asked

"I still feel a little dizzy and my body hurts all over but besides that, I'm feeling better than I did before I got here."

More typing before he responded again. "Well that's good at least. You can lay here until your dizziness is gone." He assured him. "I know those guards can be a little hard on you all. Some poor sap has only been here a little over two weeks and has been in for medical help five times"

Oswald looked over at the doctor in alarm. "Did he keep time just like a clock?" He asked. 'Please be some other poor sap.'

"Yeah, real weird guy. Nice though. Don't know what the hell he did to get in here but he's not like the rest of these brutes- ah- no offence"

'Dammit, it's my poor sap' "I'm going to rip that idiot a new one when I get back." Oswald whispered to himself, not noticing the look the doctor gave him.

"Oookay... Well you get some rest, alright? I'll check on you again soon, and drink some water" he suggested while pointing to a tall cup of cold water next to him

"Thank you doctor" Oswald replied as he lay back down in the bed. 'I hope Mr. Clock doesn't get into anymore fights' he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile temple had not gotten into any altercations, although he desperately wanted to teach the mobsters a lesson or two. They spent the afternoon teasing him and annoying him. "Poking the bear", as it were, but he kept his cool and minded his own business.

Once it was recreation time all the guards came to lead everyone, inside and out, back to either their cells or the rec room, depending on how good they had been. Oswald was feeling better and was finally on his way back to his cell. He could already hear the tapping, but also the Clock enthusiast was talking. "Hm, yes you must miss his company. I will admit I'm mildly concerned. He's seventeen minutes late getting back." The birds cooed along with him and started to get louder as Oswald approached. "Hm? Is that your Mr. Bird coming back?" He asked them.

"I'm back." Oswald announced as he was led back into his cell by a couple guards. He wasn't sure if he was announcing his return to his birds or Mr. Clock. 'Maybe both' he mused. "Did you miss me?"

Temple chuckled "I do hope you're talking to your birds, sir" he joked. "They were quite talkative I'll have you know. I think they missed you a little bit."

"Of course they missed me, I'm an absolute joy to have around." He joked back, ignoring the other man's question.

He snickered. "So, you never go out to rec, do you?" He asked

"Bah! I've never been one for what this hellhole calls recreation. I'd rather sit with my birds and read. Oh that's reminds me, look under your pillow. One of my lovelies left you something."

The clock king nodded "I can understand that. I just hate being around those people in the open, I'd rather relax in my cell." He said, then looked surprised. "Oh? For me?~" he looked under his pillow.

"You're welcome Mr. Clock." Oswald called out as he pet one of his pigeons, this specific one had recently been on a very important mission.

He smiled when he saw a pocket watch. "Ooh lovely~" he sighed and made sure it was set properly. It was a pretty little thing. Gold, needed a polish, with a 12 hour analog face and a nice long chain. Exactly what he needed. "Thank you Mr. Bird, and a thank you to your little friend too."

"Lionel appreciates the gesture as do I of course" Oswald called out distractedly, he was currently checking the the feathers of all his pigeons as well as making sure their cages were relatively neat.

Temple felt relief thanks to having a watch on his person again. The soft sounds it made soothed him. "I really do appreciate it." He mumbled "Now I'm going to time how long the guards are around, and find the right moment to tell you my plan. Sound alright with you?"

"That's fine, I'm just going to sit here and read."

"What book are you reading? If you don't mind my asking" he asked politely.

Oswald turned a page. "The Great Gatsby. I stole it from one of the guards last time I was here."

He hummed "A decent read, if I say so myself"

"Want me to read it to you or would that be too distracting?"

His neighbor was rather surprised by the offer. "That... Sounds rather nice actually, sure" he replied with a smile. "I don't have to keep time as closely now that I have a reliable source"

"Alright then. I'll start over from the beginning." Oswald got comfortable on his cot and started to read to his neighbor. Before they knew it, it was dinner time and he had ended up reading for several hours.

Temple had closed his eyes and listened. He rather enjoyed this, listening to his neighbor read. It was rather relaxing. The man had a way with storytelling that made the book feel alive. He almost forgot he was in a prison. He was in his own little world as he listened to the story.

It wasn't until one of the brutes banged on Oswald's door did they snap back into reality and realize the time. "Hey! Shut up in there! It's time to eat your slop!" He yelled.

Both of them startled and looked to their respective doors, the noise disrupting their little bubble of peace. 

"Fine, hand the tray over." Oswald grumbled as he got up and went to the door, waiting for his tray to go through the slot in front of him.

They slid it through and did the same for Temple. "We'll be back to collect the trays in an hour." The guard said and left them alone. Temple sighed.

"Well that was nice while it lasted, huh?" He asked as he picked at the gruel. He was fairly certain it may have been mashed potatoes at some point. Or maybe cement.

Oswald was picking at his food as well, he harshly poked at a brownish gray lump of what might be meatloaf but he wasn't sure if it could even be considered meat. "It was, maybe we could do that more often? Books are a joy and I don't mind reading aloud to you. I think even my birds enjoyed the reprieve from reality. It's too bad that oafish meathead decided to ruin our peace." He ended with a growl.

"Hm, agreed" he replied. "I'm not allowed books anymore. They say I'll annoy the other inmates because I'll use them to tap on the walls."

"Ugh! Those idiots." He sneered, he tried to eat the meatloaf but it had a rather... interesting flavor that he didn't want a repeat of. "So have you figured out when the guards won't be around?"

He checked his watch and looked out the little window on the door. "Well since they dropped off the meal they've been gone for eight minutes. During the time you were reading we were getting brief check ups around every twenty minutes and they stick around for only five minutes at a time during recreation." He explained. "So tomorrow, during rec would be my best time to tell you my whole plan. I'm afraid if I try now they'll be back unexpectedly and we'll be separated."

"Impressive. You're sense of time is truly impeccable" he praised as he pushed away his tray, his so called meal was a lost cause. "It would definitely make things harder if we got separated. So let's try to avoid that shall we?"

Temple nodded. "Thank you. I'd hope I was good at it since I was a time specialist." He said "and yes avoiding separation is for the best. I'm going to need more help from your friends if my plan is to work."

Oswald crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "As long as it isn't something that could get them harmed, then you can consider my lovelies at your disposal."

"Don't you worry" the clock master said "I'd never do anything to harm one of them. They're innocent in all of this. I just need some things to ah- edit this watch."

The bird enthusiast opened his mouth to inquire as to what exactly his neighbor needed until he heard the sounds of the guards dragging another new inmate down the hall. "Tell me what you need tomorrow and you'll get it as soon as possible." He said quickly.

"I will" he replied. 

They heard the guard muttering to himself angrily wile the inmate was kicking and screaming. 

Temple couldn't help but chuckle at the man's expense. "You get beatings acting up like that. I don't envy that man."

Oswald started to chuckle with him as the sounds of chaos started to fade away. "He'll learn soon enough. Acting like a fool won't get you any respect in this place, it will only make things worse."

He sat there a moment before a memory entered his mind. "Oh! That reminds me, I was in the infirmary today and the doctor told me about a very interesting patient of his. Someone who's only been here for two weeks and has already been sent to medical five times and that probably doesn't even cover all of the beatings he's gotten. Does that remind you of somebody?" He asked in a tone of judging reprimand.

Temple groaned. "What ever happened to doctor-patient confidentiality? Or.. common decency at least." He asked. "Allow me to shed some light on my beatings here." He cleared his throat and sat up straight. "When I got to Blackgate I decided to get out on good behavior. My sentence wasn't as long as most so I figured it was worth a shot. The only person I aim to harm is mayor hill, anyway." He sighed in frustration. "But even with this better behavior the guards hated my timekeeping. They refused to allow me a clock and started sending the big burly one to harm me every few hours. I can fight them back. I have the skill, but now that I've chosen to get out the hard way, I'm trying not to ruffle feathers with physical violence to keep eyes off me." He checked his watch again, gratefully touching the glass. It had been far too long since he had held a watch. "Of course, I'm not above teasing them now and again." He mumbled with a snicker. "Why do you care?"

Oswald panicked for a moment, why did he care? It's not like they've known each other long, maybe it's because his neighbor has been kind to him. Yes that's it. The kindness is making him soft in the head. 

"I don't care. Not one bit." Okay, that sounded convincing. "But if you get too hurt, then you can't help me escape. You're only useful to me if you can go through with this big plan of yours."

Temple shrugged at this. "Good because I don't need the pity" he stated flatly. "And don't you worry, I'll get you out of here. It will just take some time, all good things come to those who wait."

"They better." He warned vaguely. 

Suddenly, a guard slammed his fist against Oswald's door. "You better shut those birds up Cobblepot! Or else." 

"They're birds, they make noise. I can't just turn down the volume." He replied.

He hit the door again. "Don't get smart with me!" He hissed.

"You want the girls quiet?" Temple hissed "maybe stop scaring them with loud banging." He suggested. "They're animals, you have to be gentle with them, you fool"

"I said don't get smart with me! Get those birds to shut up or else! Don't make me come back here." The brutish man yelled as he walked away.

Temple groaned in frustration "these imbeciles don't know anything do they?" He asked. "How are the birds?"

Oswald walked over to the cages full of distressed birds and checked them over. "They're a bit shaken up but besides that they're fine."

"Good." He nodded and leaned back on his cot, also ignoring his meal. "Damn guards"

"Agreed" he replied as they sat in silence. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


End file.
